It's time to decide on Measure D It's time to decide on Measure D (October 31, 2003)

Yes or no on hospital bond measure?

by Candice Shih

On Nov. 4, voters will be making a decision with their wallets as they choose whether to support El Camino Hospital's $148 million bond measure.

The money would be used toward rebuilding the nursing tower, which does not currently meet the state's seismic safety laws. The entire project costs $298 million.

The hospital plans to use its own reserves, raise more funds and borrow to make up the difference.

According to hospital officials, seismically retrofitting the existing building would be nearly as costly but more disruptive to the hospital's visitors.

Measure D, which requires a two-thirds vote to pass, would cost property owners $12.90 per $100,000 of assessed property value for up to 40 years. The average property owner would pay $34 per year.

The hospital district covers Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Sunnyvale, Cupertino, and parts of Palo Alto and San Jose.

"At some point in the near future, there would have been a plan to replace the nursing tower anyway," said Jon Friedenberg, the hospital's vice president for resource development, noting the hospital's age at 42 years. "The way medicine is practiced, the way technology is changing really mandates a different kind of design."

The new 310-bed building will feature more private rooms, shorter wait time in the emergency department, installation of new treatment technology, bedside monitors for better communication with the medical staff, and flexible design for efficiency and future growth.

In an effort to share this message with voters, Measure D campaign workers have used part of its $500,000 campaign budget to phone voters, walk precincts, display lawn signs and run ads.

While Measure D proponents have pushed forward with their campaign, its opponents have lain low.

Citizens who have voiced their opinion against Measure D include Libertarian Party members and local attorney Gary Wesley. Without doing any campaigning or raising any funds, they have criticized the hospital district for preferring to use the public's funds instead of its own.

"We've asked them to tell us what the analysis was that makes the bond necessary. They didn't do it," said Allen Hacker, vice chair of the Santa Clara County Libertarian Party and a Mountain View resident. "We think that's disrespectful to the voters."

Hacker suspects that the hospital could fund the entire project by itself without having to be closed or sold.

According to Friedenberg, all of the district's unrestricted reserves, or about two-thirds of its $236 million bank account, is being used directly on the rebuilding project or indirectly as collateral so the hospital can borrow more money.

But Hacker isn't convinced the hospital needs the bond measure to pass. "There's no dire consequences for it failing now and it should fail," he added.

"A lot of people have been speculating what will happen if Measure D fails. The honest answer is, nobody knows," said Friedenberg. "I can tell you what won't happen: We won't have an independent, community-owned, full service hospital that complies with state standards."

If Measure D doesn't get enough votes to pass, the hospital could run with only basic services, be sold, or close, said hospital board members.

For more information about the campaigns for and against Measure D, visit www.voteyesond.com and www.votenoond.org.

E-mail Candice Shih at cshih@mv-voice.com